Electoral system analysis

Question 1

Why does the Northern Ireland Assembly use STV?

Answer 1

• STV divides a country into multi-member constituencies. Under a system of STV, voters number their choices of candidate in order of preference.
• Candidates require a certain quota to be elected, whic his calculated by dividing the total votes cast by (the number of seats contested in the constituency plus one), then adding one = Droop formula).
• STV prevents one party from dominating in the NIA and ensures government shares power with multiple parties.
• It is important that power remains shared as it has been a historically divisive political landscape.

Question 2

Why might larger parties, Labour and the Conservatives, be more inclined to presreve FPTP as an electoral system?

Answer 2

• FPTP suits larger parties, meaning that it benefits the Conservatives and Labour, which also explains why FPTP remains the system used. This is because the winner takes it all.
• The main parties have their support dispersed across the country and FPTP typically leads to the larger majorities that are desirable for passing legislation.
• Labour and conservatives benefit from the voting system, and changing it would likely harm their election success.

Question 3

How does AMS impact the type of government-appointed?

Answer 3

• Proportional systems such as AMS have increased the number of coalition governments as single-party majorities become harder to achieve.
• The AMS voting system brought about a Scottish Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition in Scotland in 1999 and 2003.